Quicksilver Fading
by periwinkled
Summary: After Rodney is retrieved from the Wraith, family and friends visit him in the Atlantis infirmary. From the SGA Legacy series of books. R/J, some J/T, Jeannie/Jennifer friendship.
1. Resolve Melting

_Disclaimer: _I lay claim to neither Stargate Atlantis the series or the Legacy series. MGM gets all the goodies.

_Note:_ After reading all three books currently out in the SGA _Legacy_ series, I got frustrated by lack of a conclusion and decided to write my own. Plus, I really want Jeannie and Jennifer to be bros. But yes, this is unlicensed fanfiction of licensed fanfiction. Wrap your heads around that one.

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><p>Jeannie walked into the infirmary to check on Rodney, and was surprised to find it deserted. Aside from her brother, who occupied a curtained-off bed in the corner of the room, the infirmary was usually buzzing to some extent, primarily with doctors and nurses treating minor snow and ice-related injuries. The Atlantis crew was really having trouble adjusting to their new, frosty home.<p>

It was equally surprising to find Rodney abandoned. Not that he was aware of anything—it turned out that transforming a human who'd been turned into a Wraith back into a human was a painful process, and Drs Keller and Beckett were being generous with pain killers. That said, as far as Jeannie knew, Dr. Keller had been constantly by Rodney's side for the last seven days. She'd eaten when one sympathetic soul or another brought her food from the Mess, and caught snatches of sleep at her desk. Her staff must have worked out an arrangement with Ronon, who always seemed to materialize about 10 minutes after she'd dropped off in her chair. He'd shift her from the chair to a nearby bed, stop to spend a few silent moments with the sleeping Rodney, and then fade back into the shadows. Jennifer never commented on waking in a different place than she'd fallen asleep, so Jeannie never brought attention to it.

Hoping that the other woman's absence was a good sign of her brother's recovery, Jeannie settled in the chair next to his bed, where she'd been spending most of the preceding days since Colonel Sheppard's team and a Wraith apparently called Todd had returned him, amnesiatic and all but unrecognizable, to the city. He'd figured out that he was Dr. Rodney McKay, but still had almost no memory of it. All he knew for sure, he told them, was a sense of _wrongness_. He'd asked for Dr. Weir several times, which had had all of them exchanging worried glances. As it turned out, the memory loss had been the easiest symptom to fix—it seemed to fade as the days went by, and every time Rodney awoke, he appeared to have regained more of his human memories.

The physical transformation was the trickiest part. Rodney didn't just look like a Wraith—he _was_ one, inside and out. Keller and Beckett were proceeding with extreme caution, although they insisted they were as confident in their treatment as one could be in an experimental genetic alteration no one had ever attempted on a human before. But it seemed to be working; Rodney's skin had returned to its original pinkish color, and although he hadn't eaten anything as of yet, he was receiving nutrients intravenously. The "mouth" on his hand would require actual surgery to remove it, but the markings on his face were fading. The only thing that was determinedly not going away was the color of his hair—it stubbornly remained a pure white.

"You're looking good, Meredith," Jeannie leaned towards her brother's prone form and made her voice as upbeat as she could manage. Happily, as the days went by it was becoming easier and easier to be upbeat. "I just had dinner with Dr. Zelenka. He's probably the happiest person in the city that you've come back! All he could talk about was the things he was going to ask you could do once you were back on your feet. Well, that and pigeons. He really likes his pigeons, doesn't he?"

Jeannie didn't actually expect her brother to respond, so she was startled to hear a muffled noise. "Meredith?" She stood and laid a hand on one of Rodney's, thrilled that his skin felt like actual human skin again. He didn't stir. The sound came again. It sounded human, and vaguely like someone was in pain. Jeannie glanced around for medical personal, concerned if someone was in medical distress, she wouldn't be able to assist them. The sounds continued, and seemed to be coming through a nearby door which, from her week of living in the infirmary, Jeannie knew led to a small storage closet.

She hesitated, and then waved her hand over the vertical panel to the right of the door. It slid smoothly open, revealing Dr. Keller on the floor, curled tightly around her knees. Her shoulders heaved with the force of her sobs, which were so loud that Jeannie realized all of a sudden just how thick the doors on Atlantis must be. Jeannie's reaction was as automatic and unthinking as if she'd opened the door and found Madison crying in a closet.

"Oh, Jennifer." She went immediately to her knees next to the younger woman and folded her arms around her shoulders, dimly aware of the door closing behind her. Jennifer stiffened, and Jeannie caught a look of mortification as it flashed across her face. Jennifer tried to say something, but couldn't seem to speak around the force of her sobs. Jeannie just held on to her, rubbing her back and repeating "I know. Oh, I know," exactly as she would have done with her daughter.

She realized in a rush just how hard the previous months had been on Jennifer, straddling the line between lover and doctor. Jeannie had thought her cold, but clearly that wasn't the case at all. "I've got to stop seeing you when Meredith's in mortal peril. I'm getting all the wrong impressions."

Jennifer gave what might have been a watery laugh, and tried speech again. This time she was more successful "I tried to be strong. I tried for strong, but I was cold, wasn't I? You thought I was cruel." The sobs had died down, but Jennifer was hiccupping between every other word.

Jeannie sat back so she was no longer embracing the doctor, but left one arm curved around her shoulders. "It's easy to look back now and criticize. The important thing is that you did it. Your friends got Meredith back, and you and Dr. Beckett cured him. Nothing else is important."

"Jeannie, I thought I was going to lose him. Oh God, I thought he was lost. Everyone was trying so hard to be optimistic, and I tried to be too, but I couldn't do it. The odds against him were so vast, and I couldn't—_hic_—I just couldn't…as much as I _wanted_ him to come home…" she trailed off, sniffling.

Jeannie dug in a pocket and produced a clean tissue for Jennifer to use. One of those habits you pick up as a mom: having tissues on you at all times. "You never stopped working. These past months, with Mere missing and so much stacked against getting him back, you never stopped looking for a way to cure him. Even thinking that he'd never be back, you never stopped. When Mere first told me that you two were dating, I couldn't see it. And, well, now I think you're a lot more like my brother than I gave you credit for."

Jennifer blew her nose and peered up at Jeannie with red-rimmed eyes. "You mean it?"

"I do. Not _too_ much like him, of course, because that's the last thing anyone needs—" she grinned when that got a chuckle out of Jennifer. "But you're well matched. And I am so glad you were here for my brother."

"Jeannie, I almost sent the cat back to Earth."

"Well, we don't need to tell _him_ that, do we?"

The two women smiled at each other, and Jeannie thought that she might end up liking her brother's chosen mate a great deal more than she'd thought.

"Hey, doc?" John Sheppard's voice broke the moment, and Jennifer struggled to her feet. She waved a hand in front of the door panel and rushed out into the infirmary.

"Yes, what is it? Is he awake?"

John stood near the foot of Rodney's bed, hands stuffed nonchalantly into the pockets of his uniform. It was a pose he'd perfected, one that projected ease while hiding any anxiety he might feel. His glance at the bed belied the pose. "I doubt a tactical nuke could wake him up at this point. No, I was wondering if you thought the patient was ready for a visit."

They'd made a concerted effort never to refer to Rodney by name around Torren. The little boy had been told that his Uncle Rodney was away, but nothing else. They knew enough of his affection for his honorary uncle to know that if Torren knew Rodney was back, no one would be safe until he'd gotten to see him. So Rodney was "the patient," at least until they were sure he was un-Wraith-ified enough not to terrify the boy.

Jennifer looked over Rodney, taking in his improved pallor, and faded scars. She doubted the changed hair color would make much of an impact. "I think it should be safe now."

John looked immensely relieved. "Oh, good. Torren overheard Radek mention Rodney and he's been demanding to see him all morning. It's driving Teyla nuts."

Jennifer laughed. "Go ahead and bring him to visit. Maybe he'll make enough noise to wake him up. The painful part of the process should mostly be over with by now."

"Believe me, if it's a lot of noise you want, Torren can _definitely_ provide it." With a final glance at Rodney and a quick smile at Jeannie, John left the infirmary.

"So…" Jeannie started, and Jennifer turned with raised brows. "Colonel Sheppard and Teyla. Are they…?"

"Oh, yeah. Even I noticed, in the trance I've been in. But they're clearly making an effort to keep it to themselves, and for now everyone is respecting that. It won't last forever, however. Atlantis is _full_ of gossips."

Jeannie grinned. "I can see how that would be the case."

**TBC**  
>This story has a few more episodes!<p> 


	2. Heartstrings Pulling

_Disclaimer_: I lay claim to neither Stargate Atlantis the series or the Legacy series. MGM gets all the goodies.

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><p>Torren did not wake Rodney up, and in fact was unnaturally quiet. He seemed to decide that it was a situation that required silence, and spoke in a whisper (well, as much as a toddler is capable of speaking in a whisper) despite the fact that everyone else in the infirmary was speaking at full volume.<p>

Teyla brought Torren in, explaining that Uncle Rodney was okay, he just needed a lot of sleep. Jennifer recalled Marie telling her that John had used a similar explanation when Teyla was recovering from a bruised hip, and bit back a smile. Torren nodded solemnly. "You can speak to him, if you'd like," Teyla offered, but the boy didn't seem to know what to make of seeing Rodney this way after so long an absence. He turned away from the bed, and was thus the first to notice John and Colonel Carter coming into the room.

Torren alerted the rest of the room to their presence with a simple, clear "Da!" This was clearly directed at John. Jennifer glanced at Jeannie, and they shared a smile.

"Hey, buddy. Are you visiting with Uncle Rodney?" Torren reached out an arm to John, and Tayla acquiesced with a smooth handover that bespoke much practice.

"I told Torren that he could speak to Rodney, if he wished. He is sleeping, but it is still good to wish good health on one's friends." Teyla provided this, in the tone of infinite patience that was unique to her.

John shifted Torren so he was looking at him. "Do you want to talk to Uncle Rodney?" The boy nodded mutely. "Well, go on, then." And they stepped closer to the bed.

"Do they really have no clue how they appear?" Jeannie murmured, having moved over to where Jennifer stood.

"I think they're aware of it, to a certain extent. They probably don't realize how freaking adorable they are," Jennifer replied. She heard a muffled snort from Colonel Carter's direction and cleared her throat discreetly. Carter was fighting a smile, but John and Teyla appeared too absorbed in Torren to notice.

Carter moved over to join them. "Do you have any idea when he'll wake up?"

Jennifer shook her head. "We're no longer administering morphine, so what you're seeing is a deep, natural sleep. I expect he'll sleep until his body has finished healing itself. One of the things we fought with in treating Michael the first time around was how eager his body was to return to its original state when it had the chance. In Rodney's case it was a little more difficult, but once we got the reversal process started, we didn't have to do much to encourage it." Jennifer smiled. "He wants to be human again."

"Unca Rony," Torren said. He was clearly trying for a whisper, but, well, he was 2. The three women turned their attention back to the bed. "Miss you! Miss you." Torren reached out one small hand to Rodney. John leaned in, and let the boy pat his friend's hand gently.

"Oh," Jennifer's emotions were still raw from her earlier breakdown, and she could feel the tears rushing to the surface. She felt something in her hand, and glanced down to find that Jeannie had given her another tissue. She smiled at her gratefully. Bonding with Rodney's sister hadn't been on her agenda this morning, but at the rate it was going, if the universe wanted to keep surprising her, she wasn't going to complain.

**TBC**


	3. Caveman Grunting

Disclaimer: I lay claim to neither Stargate Atlantis the series or the Legacy series. MGM gets all the goodies.

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><p>Hours later, Rodney awoke on his own. He cautiously opened his eyes, braced for either sharp pain or drugging wooziness, and was pleasantly surprised to find neither. What he found instead, however, wasn't much of an improvement.<p>

He cleared his throat, and Ronon turned to face him, Jennifer asleep in his arms. He at least had the grace to look a little guilty. "Trying to steal my girl?"

"Never." Ronon walked to the bed next to Rodney's and laid Jennifer gently on it. He pulled a folded blanket off of a nearby shelf and spread it over her with practiced ease.

"Been doing that a lot lately, huh?"

"She's barely left the infirmary in days."

"Well, I hope she's bathed."

Ronon's expression was caught between amused and affronted. "McKay."

"Wasn't funny, was it? I knew it probably wouldn't be, but I tried it anyway. I just want to be me again, Ronon."

"You will be."

"How can you be so sure?"

Ronon shrugged. "Wouldn't be Atlantis without you driving everybody crazy. Besides," he nodded towards Jennifer's prone form, "she needs you."

"Does she?"

"Hey, I was here when you were gone. You weren't." Rodney started to point out how little sense that made, but Ronon forged on. "You guys need each other. Alright?"

Rodney nodded. "Yeah."

"And if you ever tell anybody we had this conversation, I will take you back to the Wraith myself."

Rodney shrugged ruefully. "With my luck, I probably won't remember it."

Ronon looked like he wanted to say something, but bit it back and started for the door. Halfway there, he turned again and strode purposefully back to Rodney's bedside. Before he could react, Ronon had enfolded him in a tight hug. It was over almost as quickly as it began, and Ronon stepped back. "Glad to have you back, McKay." In the next moment, he was gone.

"Well," Rodney said to the silent room, and then: "Ow."

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><p><strong>AN: **For the record, I ship Ronon and everybody.


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